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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. march — the month
  3. field — for sport
  4. mug — a cup
  5. bank — for money
  6. mug — to rob
  7. field — a subject
  8. bank — for money
  9. march — music
  10. cue — for pool
  11. land — to come down
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of a king
  15. cue — a signal
  16. mug — a face
  17. cue — a hint
  18. bass — low music
  19. bass — the fish
  20. land — a country
  21. bank — of a river
  22. march — the month
  23. land — ground
  24. court — of law

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com